Lauritz Melchior
Lauritz Melchior was the first of the great Wagnerian heldentenors (heroic tenors) to sing on records, and he was the first operatic tenor to sing on radio. His recorded legacy is considered a benchmark for all subsequent Siegfrieds and Tristans. One can only imagine what a legacy was lost when he and his wife fled Germany in 1939; his home there was subsequently occupied and looted by both German and Russian soldiers and a collection of unpublished recordings was used for target practice. Contemporary reviews indicated that he was frequently lax in keeping rhythms, and many of his debuts were not completely successful, but he had a long operatic career.
Melchior started singing at an early age, when a boarder in his father's house who was a voice teacher gave Melchior and the other children in the family singing lessons. He often accompanied his sister (who was blind) to the opera, and from her reactions he learned how dramatically powerful a voice can be, even without stagecraft. Like many Wagnerian and heroic tenors, he started his career as a baritone (and very briefly as a bass), first studying privately with Paul Bang, and after he turned 21, studying at the Copenhagen Royal Opera School. His unofficial debut was in 1912 as Germont in La Traviata with a tiny touring company, the Zwicki and Stagel Opera Company, and he made his official debut in 1913 as Silvio in I Pagliacci at the Royal Opera. He remained there for several seasons, first in comprimario roles, and later in major roles, beginning what looked like a solid career as a Verdi baritone when singing di Luna in Il Trovatore and the elder Germont in La Traviata.
A colleague heard him take an unwritten high C in Il Trovatore one evening and told the directors of the Royal Opera she heard the foundation of a heldentenor in Melchior's voice. The management agreed and made arrangements for him to restudy his voice with the tenor Wilhelm Herold. He made his debut as a tenor in 1918 as Tannhauser, again at the Copenhagen Royal Opera. However, he was still uncertain of his technique and voice. In 1919, a wealthy patron encouraged the conductor Henry Woods to audition him, and he had his London debut at the Proms in 1920. He came to the attention of another patron, Hugh Walpole, the noted author, who provided Melchior with a generous allowance to further his studies as well as support his family. His Covent Garden debut was in 1924 as Siegmund. He auditioned for Siegfried Wagner (the son of the composer) and made his Bayreuth debut in 1924 as Parsifal. He continued to take leading roles there, including the legendary 1930 Tristan und Isolde under Toscanini, who dubbed him "Tristanissimo," until shortly before World War II. His Metropolitan debut was in 1926 as Tannhauser and he sang there regularly until 1950, when one of Rudolf Bing's first actions as general manager was to decline to renew his contract. This was partly for extra-musical reasons, including a predilection for practical jokes and appearing on "low brow" venues such as radio comedy and variety shows with Fred Allen and Bing Crosby, and partly for a growing disinclination to attend lengthy rehearsals.
After this dismissal, Melchior retired from the stage, though he continued to appear in films and operettas, sang on the radio (including a broadcast of the first act of Die Walküre from Copenhagen on his 70th birthday), and as part of his own touring music company.
© TiVo
Similar artists
-
Wagner: Premier acte de La Walkyrie (Mono Version)
Lotte Lehmann, Lauritz Melchior, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Die Walküre & Götterdämmerung (Excerpts, Live)
Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchior, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 29 Oct 2021
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tristan und Isolde
Opera - Released by West Hill Radio Archives on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tannhäuser, WWV 70 (Live)
Helen Traubel, Lauritz Melchior, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, George Szell
Opera - Released by Archipel on 5 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Four Famous Wagnerian Tenors
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 6 Sep 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lauritz Melchior Anthology Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Danacord Records on 15 Aug 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Lauritz Melchior sings Wagner
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 12 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MELCHIOR ANTHOLOGY, Vol. 3 - WAGNER, R.: Die Walkure / MEYERBEER, G.: L'Africaine / VERDI, G.: Otello / LEONCAVALLO, R.: Pagliacci (1926-1931) (Richard Wagner - Eugene Scribe - Giacomo Meyerbeer)
Classical - Released by Danacord on 1 Jan 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), WWV 86b
Classical - Released by Documents on 1 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tristan und Isolde (Melchior, Flagstad, Reiner) (1936)
Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchior, Royal Opera House Chorus, Covent Garden, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
Opera - Released by Naxos on 17 Sep 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La Walkyrie
Lauritz Melchior, Helen Traubel, New York Metropolitan Opera Chorus, New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf
Full Operas - Released by Naxos on 4 Dec 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Lauritz Melchior
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 30 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Lauritz Melchior (Vol.3)
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 3 Sep 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: La Walkyrie, Extraits & Le crépuscule des Dieux, Extraits (1941 Live Version, Mono Version)
Arturo Toscanini, Helen Traubel, Lauritz Melchior, NBC Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on 9 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Wagner Duets (1939-1940)
Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchior, Victor Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Edwin McArthur
Opera - Released by Naxos on 12 Jun 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Siegfried (extraits)
Opera - Released by Naxos on 5 Nov 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Die Walküre
Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchior, Marjorie Lawrence, Julius Huehn, The Metropolitan Opera Boston
Opera - Released by Past Classics on 1 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die walküre - new york 1946
Lauritz Melchior, Joel Berlund, Astrid Varnay, Helen Traubel
Opera - Released by OperaPrima-Carillon on 23 Apr 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MELCHIOR ANTHOLOGY, Vol. 5 - WAGNER, R.: Siegfried / Die Walkure (1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1960)
Classical - Released by Danacord on 25 Apr 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MELCHIOR ANTHOLOGY, Vol. 4 - WAGNER, R.: Die Walkure (excerpts) (1935) (Richard Wagner)
Opera - Released by Danacord on 1 Oct 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo